Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed Redox‐Neutral Coupling of α‐Trifluoromethylacrylic Acid with Benzamides through Directed C−H Bond Cleavage

A rhodium(III)‐catalyzed redox‐neutral coupling of α‐trifluoromethylacrylic acid with bezamides proceeds smoothly accompanied by amide‐directed C?H bond cleavage to produce β‐[2‐(aminocarbonyl)phenyl]‐α‐trifluoromethylpropanoic acid derivatives. One of the products can be transformed to a trifluoromethyl substituted heterocyclic compound. In addition, the redox‐neutral coupling of α‐trifluoromethylacrylic acid with related aromatic substrates possessing a nitrogen‐containing directing group can also be conducted under similar conditions.     

Enantioselective Rhodium‐Catalyzed Addition of Arylboroxines to N‐Unprotected Ketimines: Efficient Synthesis of Cipargamin

Highly enantioselective rhodium‐catalyzed addition of arylboroxines to N‐unprotected ketimines is realized for the first time by employing chiral BIBOP‐type ligands with a Rh loading as low as 1 mol %. A range of chiral α‐trifluoromethyl‐α,α‐diaryl α‐tertiary amines or 3‐amino‐3‐aryloxindoles were formed with excellent ee values and yields by employing either WingPhos or PFBO‐BIBOP as the ligand. The method has enabled an efficient enantioselective synthesis of cipargamin.     

Rh‐catalyzed Transient Directing Group Promoted C—H Amidation of Benzaldehydes Utilizing Dioxazolones

Transition‐metal catalyzed C—H functionalization of benzaldehydes is of great interest in organic synthesis. Herein, we developed a transient directing group assisted amidation of benzaldehydes catalyzed by rhodium catalyst. With the employment of 10 mol% of 4‐trifluoromethyl aniline, the in situ generated imine groups as the directing group efficiently enable this transformation. By using this protocol, a wide range of benzaldehydes were efficiently converted into the corresponding N‐(2‐formylphenyl)benzamides utilizing dioxazolones as the nitrogen source.     

Synthesis of some trifluoromethyl substituted 1‐methylpyrazoles

The major products from the reaction of β‐alkoxyvinyl trifluoromethyl ketones 1a‐c with methylhydrazine ( 2 ) in absolute ethanol are the 3‐(trifluoromethyl)‐substituted‐1‐methylpyrazoles 3a‐3c with lesser amounts of the 5‐(trifluoromethyl)‐substituted products 4a‐4c and 5a‐5c. Carrying out the reaction in non‐polar, aprotic solvents can further enhance the regioselectivity favoring the 3‐ (trifluoromethyl) ‐substituted isomers.     

Condensation of methylhydrazine with 4‐ethoxy‐1,1,1‐trifluoro‐3‐buten‐2‐one. A reinvestigation

In contrast to previous reports, 4‐ethoxy‐1,1,1‐trifluoro‐3‐buten‐2‐one ( 1 ) was observed to react with methylhydrazine ( 2 ) in refluxing ethanol to yield 1‐methyl‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)pyrazole ( 6 ) and 4,5‐dihydro‐1‐methyl‐5‐(trifluoromethyl)pyrazol‐5‐ol ( 4 ). The later compound undergoes acid catalyzed dehydration to 1‐methyl‐5‐(trifluoromethyl)pyrazole ( 3 ).     

Synthesis of α‐Nitro‐α‐diazocarbonyl Derivatives and Their Applications in the Cyclopropanation of Alkenes and in O?H Insertion Reactions

A facile and highly efficient method for the preparation of α‐nitro‐α‐diazocarbonyl derivatives by a diazo‐transfer reaction involving (trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl azide has been developed. These substrates undergo a rhodium‐catalyzed cyclopropanation reaction with a variety of alkenes. A systematic study of the reaction indicated that the diastereoselectivity of the cyclopropanation could be effectively controlled through the modification of the steric bulk of the diazo reagent. A novel O? H insertion reaction of the metal? carbene complex derived from the α‐nitro‐α‐diazocarbonyl reagent afforded the corresponding novel α‐nitro‐α‐alkoxy carbonyl derivatives.     

Chloride‐Bridged Dinuclear Rhodium(III) Complexes Bearing Chiral Diphosphine Ligands: Catalyst Precursors for Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Simple Olefins

Efficient rhodium(III) catalysts were developed for asymmetric hydrogenation of simple olefins. A new series of chloride‐bridged dinuclear rhodium(III) complexes 1 were synthesized from the rhodium(I) precursor [RhCl(cod)]₂, chiral diphosphine ligands, and hydrochloric acid. Complexes from the series acted as efficient catalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation of (E)‐prop‐1‐ene‐1,2‐diyldibenzene and its derivatives without any directing groups, in sharp contrast to widely used rhodium(I) catalytic systems that require a directing group for high enantioselectivity. The catalytic system was applied to asymmetric hydrogenation of allylic alcohols, alkenylboranes, and unsaturated cyclic sulfones. Control experiments support the superiority of dinuclear rhodium(III) complexes 1 over typical rhodium(I) catalytic systems.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Comparison of Properties of Novel Fluorinated Polyimides Derived from Bisphenol–A‐di(phthaleic anhydride)

Four new poly(etherimide)s have been synthesized by reaction with commercially available bisphenol‐A‐(diphthaleic anhydride) (BPADA) with four different kinds of diamines, namely 4,4′‐bis(p‐aminophenoxy‐3,3″‐trifluoromethyl) terphenyl,4,4′‐bis(3″‐trifluoromethyl‐p‐aminobiphenyl ether)biphenyl,2,6‐bis(3′‐trifluoromethyl‐p‐aminobiphenyl ether)pyridine, 2,5‐bis(3′‐trifluoromethyl‐p‐aminobiphenylether)thiopene. The poly(etherimide)s are named as 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d, respectively. The synthesized polyimides show good solubility in various organic solvents. The polyimide films had low water absorption of 0.19–0.30% and low dielectric constant of 2.79–3.1 at 1 MHz. These polyimides showed very high thermal stability with decomposition temperature (5% wt loss) up to 522°C in nitrogen. Transparent thin films of these polyimides exhibited tensile strength up to 97 MPa, a modulus of elasticity up to 1.56 GPa and elongation at break up to 20%.     

Synthesis of Tetrahydro‐2(1H)quinazolinones,Cyclopenta[d]‐2(1H)pyrimidinones,and Their Thioxo Analogs from 2‐Trifluoroacetyl‐1‐methoxycycloalkenes

A series of six (8)‐alkyl‐4‐trifluoromethyl‐5,6,7,8‐tetrahydro‐2(1H)quinazolinones, 4‐trifluoromethyl‐cyclopenta[d]‐2(1H)pyrimidinones, and their thioxo analogs from the reaction of five β‐alkoxyvinyl trifluoromethyl ketones, derived from alkylated cyclohexanones and cyclopentanone with urea and thiourea, is reported. The reactions were carried out in a single step in propan‐2‐ol as solvent and boron trifluoride diethyl etherate as catalyst in 18–65% yield.     

New Pyrazolyl‐Nicotinic Acids,Methyl Esters,and 1,3,4‐Oxadiazolyl‐pyrazolyl‐pyridine Tricyclic Scaffold Derivatives from 6‐Hydrazinylnicotinic Acid Hydrazide Hydrate

This paper describes an efficient approach for the synthesis of a new series of 6‐[3‐alkyl(aryl/heteroaryl)‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1H‐pyrazol‐1‐yl]nicotinic acids (where alkyl = CH₃; aryl = Ph, 4‐OCH₃Ph, 4,4′‐BiPh; and heteroaryl = 2‐Furyl) from the hydrolysis reaction of alkyl(aryl/heteroaryl)substituted 2‐(5‐trifluoromethyl‐5‐hydroxy‐4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazol‐1‐yl)‐5‐(5‐trifluoromethyl‐5‐hydroxy‐4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐1‐carbonylpyrazol‐1‐yl)pyridines, under basic conditions and at 70–95% yields. In a subsequent step, the esterification reaction of pyrazolyl‐nicotinic acids done in thionyl chloride and methanol led to the isolation of a series of methyl 6‐[alkyl(aryl/heteroaryl)‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1H‐pyrazol‐1‐yl] nicotinates as stable hydrochloride salts at 64–84% yields, which could be easily converted to hydrazides to give new oxadiazolyl‐pyrazolyl‐pyridine tricyclic scaffolds at good yields from a [4 + 1] cyclocondensation reaction with 1,1,1‐triethoxyethane and 1‐(triethoxymethyl)benzene as the reagent/solvent.     

A Transition‐Metal‐Free Synthesis of Fluorinated Naphthols

Herein, we describe a transition‐metal‐free protocol for the conversion of simple 2‐allyl‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)phenols into substituted 5‐fluoronaphthalen‐1‐ols. The key events of this reaction include the selective activation of two C?F bonds and formation of an intermediate hexatriene system, which undergoes a 6π electrocyclization, followed by rearomatization. This concept enables the rapid conversion (three steps) of various commercially available 3‐(trifluoromethyl)phenols into novel fluorine‐containing naphthols, which are difficult to prepare by previous methods. The reported sequence was also extended to a one‐pot transformation of 3‐(trifluoromethyl)phenols into 5‐fluoronaphthalen‐1‐ols.     

Design and Synthesis of Isocyanide Ligands for Catalysis: Application to Rh‐Catalyzed Hydrosilylation of Ketones

New isocyanide ligands with meta‐terphenyl backbones were synthesized. 2,6‐Bis[3,5‐bis(trimethylsilyl)phenyl]‐4‐methylphenyl isocyanide exhibited the highest rate acceleration in rhodium‐catalyzed hydrosilylation among other isocyanide and phosphine ligands tested in this study. ¹H NMR spectroscopic studies on the coordination behavior of the new ligands to [Rh(cod)₂]BF₄ indicated that 2,6‐bis[3,5‐bis(trimethylsilyl)phenyl]‐4‐methylphenyl isocyanide exclusively forms the biscoordinated rhodium–isocyanide complex, whereas less sterically demanding isocyanide ligands predominantly form tetracoordinated rhodium–isocyanide complexes. FTIR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic studies on the hydrosilylation reaction mixture with the rhodium–isocyanide catalyst showed that the major catalytic species responsible for the hydrosilylation activity is the Rh complex coordinated with the isocyanide ligand. DFT calculations of model compounds revealed the higher affinity of isocyanides for rhodium relative to phosphines. The combined effect of high ligand affinity for the rhodium atom and the bulkiness of the ligand, which facilitates the formation of a catalytically active, monoisocyanide–rhodium species, is proposed to account for the catalytic efficiency of the rhodium–bulky isocyanide system in hydrosilylation.     

Development of a Liquid‐liquid Extraction System for Rhodium(III) by 2‐octylaminopyridine from Weak Malonate Media

We have developed the extraction method of rhodium(III) from malonate media with 2‐octylaminopyridine (2‐OAP) in xylene at pH 8.0. The quantitative extraction of rhodium(III) with extractant was found by screening of different physicochemical parameters like malonate concentration, extractant concentration, pH, diluents, effect of temperature, aq: org phase ratio, loading capacity of 2‐OAP. The optimum condition was malonate=0.025 M, pH=8.0, 2‐OAP=0.05 M in xylene. The complete stripping of rhodium(III) from the loaded organic phase was carried out with 2 M HCl. Log‐log plot was investigated to determine the stoichiometry of the extracted species and it was found to be 1 : 2 : 1 (metal : acid :extractant). The versatility of the proposed method was checked for extraction and separation of rhodium(III) from binary, ternary mixture of associated metal ions as well as platinum group metals and from the synthetic solution of rhodium minerals and alloys.     

Enantioselective Denitrogenative Annulation of 1H‐Tetrazoles with Styrenes Catalyzed by Rhodium

Sulfonylation of 1H‐tetrazoles with triflic anhydride in the presence of chiral rhodium(II) carboxylate dimers causes denitrogenation to generate α‐azo rhodium(II) carbenoid species as new types of donor/acceptor carbenoids, which then readily react with styrenes to afford 3,5‐diaryl‐2‐pyrazolines with a high degree of enantioselectivity.     

meso‐3,5‐Bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl‐Substituted Expanded Porphyrins: Synthesis,Characterization, and Optical,Electrochemical, and Photophysical Properties

Trifluoroacetic acid‐catalyzed condensation of pyrrole with electron‐deficient and sterically hindered 3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)benzaldehyde results in the unexpected production of a series of meso‐3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl‐substituted expanded porphyrins including [22]sapphyrin 2 , N‐fused [22]pentaphyrin 3 , [26]hexaphyrin 4 , and intact [32]heptaphyrin 5 together with the conventional 5,10,15,20‐tetrakis(3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)porphyrin 1 . These expanded porphyrins are characterized by mass spectrometry, ¹H NMR spectroscopy, UV/Vis/NIR absorption spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The optical and electrochemical measurements reveal a decrease in the HOMO–LUMO gap with increasing size of the conjugated macrocycles, and in accordance with the trend, the deactivation of the excited singlet state to the ground state is enhanced.     

Effect of trifluoromethyl substituents on birefringence of polystyrene

Transparent thermoplastic polymers that exhibit no birefringence are ideal for optical components such as optical films for liquid crystal displays and various lenses. Copolymerization of a positive birefringent monomer with a negative monomer is an effective technique for obtaining low birefringent polymers, especially zero‐photoelastic birefringence polymers that exhibit no photoelastic birefringence even during elastic deformation. We prepared four types of trifluoromethyl‐substituted polystyrenes. By substituting hydrogens at the ortho or meta positions of the benzene ring of polystyrene, we demonstrated that poly(2‐(trifluoromethyl)styrene), poly(3‐(trifluoromethyl)styrene), and poly(3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)styrene) had negative photoelastic coefficients. However, poly(4‐(trifluoromethyl)styrene) had a positive photoelastic coefficient similar to that of polystyrene. Based on these results, we synthesized a zero‐photoelastic birefringence polymer of poly(2‐(trifluoromethyl)styrene‐co‐4‐(trifluoromethyl)styrene) (55/45 wt.) exhibiting no photoelastic birefringence in elastic deformation, in which the positive photoelastic birefringence of the poly(4‐(trifluoromethyl)styrene) unit was compensated for by the negative photoelastic birefringence of the poly(2‐(trifluoromethyl)styrene) unit. The discovery of polymers having negative photoelastic coefficients is valuable for the design and synthesis of zero‐photoelastic birefringence polymers. The four types of trifluoromethyl‐substituted polystyrenes are promising optical materials because they have high transparency (transmittance > 89–92% for 27–34‐µm thickness films) in the visible and near‐infrared regions and a high decomposition temperature of approximately 400°C. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The coupling of arylboronic acids with nitroarenes catalyzed by rhodium

The coupling of arylboronic acids with electron-deficient nitroarenes was realized for the first time by using a rhodium(I) catalyst under an air atmosphere, achieving unsymmetrical diaryl ethers with yields ranging from poor to good. From a deuterium labeling experiment, the oxygen atom is derived from ambient water. The efficiency of this reaction was demonstrated by its compatibility with fluoro, bromo, chloro, and trifluoromethyl groups.     

Density functional calculations for Rh(I)‐catalyzed C–C bond activation of siloxyvinylcyclopropanes and diazoesters

Density functional theory was employed to investigate rhodium(I)‐catalyzed C–C bond activation of siloxyvinylcyclopropanes and diazoesters. The B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p) level (LANL2DZ(f) for Rh) was used to optimize completely all intermediates and transition states. The computational results revealed that the most favorable pathway was the channel forming the methyl‐branched acyclic product p1 in path A (cyclooctadiene (cod) as the ligand), and the oxidative addition was the rate‐determining step for this channel. It proceeded mainly through the complexation of diazoester to rhodium, rhodium–carbene formation, coordination of siloxyvinylcyclopropane, oxidative addition (C2–C3 bond cleavage) of siloxyvinylcyclopropane, carbene migratory insertion, β‐hydrogen elimination and reductive elimination. The complexation of diazoester to rhodium occurred prior to the coordination of siloxyvinylcyclopropane. Also, the role of the ligands cod, chlorine and 1,4‐dioxane, the effect of di‐rhodium catalyst and the solvent effect are discussed in detail.     

Poly(arylene thioether) synthesis via nitro‐displacement reaction

High molecular weight poly(arylene thioether)s containing trifluoromethyl groups were prepared through the aromatic nucleophilic nitro‐displacement reaction of a dinitro monomer with aromatic dithiols. The high reactivity of the monomer, 4,4′‐dinitro‐3,3′‐bis(trifluoromethyl)biphenyl(1), activated by o‐trifluoromethyl groups and complete exclusion of oxygen was critical for the successful polymerization without any disulfide formation. The resulting trifluoromethylated poly(arylene thioether)s ( P1 and P2 ) were amorphous, dissolved in common organic solvents, and showed superior thermal properties compared to commercial poly(phenylene sulfide). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2440–2447, 2006     

The structures of 1,4‐diaryl‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazoles related to J147, a drug for treating Alzheimer's disease

J147 [N‐(2,4‐dimethylphenyl)‐2,2,2‐trifluoro‐N′‐(3‐methoxybenzylidene)acetohydrazide] has recently been reported as a promising new drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The X‐ray structures of seven new 1,4‐diaryl‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazoles, namely 1‐(3,4‐dimethylphenyl)‐4‐phenyl‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazole (C₁₇H₁₄F₃N₃, 1 ), 1‐(3,4‐dimethylphenyl)‐4‐(3‐methoxyphenyl)‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazole (C₁₈H₁₆F₃N₃O, 2 ), 1‐(3,4‐dimethylphenyl)‐4‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazole (C₁₈H₁₆F₃N₃O, 3 ), 1‐(2,4‐dimethylphenyl)‐4‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazole (C₁₈H₁₆F₃N₃O, 4 ), 1‐[2,4‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]‐4‐(3‐methoxyphenyl)‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazole (C₁₈H₁₀F₉N₃O, 5 ), 1‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐4‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazole (C₁₉H₁₈F₃N₃O₄, 6 ) and 3‐[4‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐5‐(trifluoromethyl)‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐1‐yl]phenol (C₁₇H₁₄F₃N₃O₃, 7 ), have been determined and compared to that of J147 . B3LYP/6‐311++G(d,p) calculations have been performed to determine the potential surface and molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) of J147 , and to examine the correlation between hydrazone J147 and the 1,2,3‐triazoles, both bearing a CF₃ substituent. Using MEPs, it was found that the minimum‐energy conformation of 4 , which is nearly identical to its X‐ray structure, is closely related to one of the J147 seven minima.